John McCain: Vladimir Putin’s democracy ‘disdain’

Sen. John McCain says he’s not entirely surprised to see relations with Russia reminiscent of the Cold War because Vladimir Putin has a “disdain for democracy” and the United States.

Responding to the confusion over the whereabouts of NSA leaker Edward Snowden, McCain said he was reminded of Cold War days, where evidence points to Snowden being in Russia, but a Russian spokesman denies it. McCain said Monday on CNN’s “New Day” that the incident shows it’s time to get tough on Putin.

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“Look, we’ve got to start dealing with Vladimir Putin in a realistic fashion for what he is. He’s an old KGB colonel apparatchik that dreams of the days of the Russian Empire and he continues to stick his thumb in our eye in a broad variety of ways,” McCain said, including Putin’s support of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

The Arizona Republican said knowing Putin’s history, he’s not surprised to see a deterioration in Russian relations.

“I have known about Vladimir Putin for a long, long time. He … has disdain for democracy and the things we stand for and believe in, and if he sees a situation, he’ll take advantage of it. I mean, anybody that takes somebody’s Super Bowl ring has got to be not exactly like us,” McCain said, prompting CNN host Chris Cuomo to remind viewers that the allegations about Putin taking Patriot owner Robert Kraft’s ring are “unsubstantiated.”

McCain said the U.S. has to send a message to countries like Russia and China that it’s serious, on everything from Snowden to a “red line” in Syria.

“[Putin] has to understand and we have to be serious that this will affect our relations with Russia in a broad variety of ways. And that does not mean a return to the Cold War, but it means a very realistic approach to our relations with both of those countries,” McCain said.